Temporary door and method



March 22, 1966 w. E. BRUNING 3,241,601

TEMPORARY DOOR AND METHOD Original Filed March 19, 1962 Jars/2 2p!" 722250011 512020257 c Jbu/av/ fib/z filzorzv United States Patent 2 Claims. or. 160-368) This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 180,894, filed March 19, 1962.

This invention relates to a temporary door and method, and, more particularly, to a panel-type door uniquely foldable on itself for closing the doorway of a freight vehicle.

The inventive door closure finds utility in connection with the temporary barricading of the doorways of graincarrying boxcars. In the past, there has been difilculty experienced with the installation of these temporary doors which are necessary to prevent the outflow of grain, particularly during the filling operation. It will be appreciated that the sliding storm doors with which the boxcar is equipped are inadequate to do this, since they open by a horizontal movement and thus expose the entire height of the doorway.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel door and method of installation in the environment mentioned above that is particularly advantageous in connection with the use of swivel loaders for filling a grain-carrying boxcar.

Other objects and advantages of this invention may be seen in the details of construction and operation set down in this specification.

The invention will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the interior of a freight car equipped with a closure embodying teachings of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view such as would be seen along the line 22 applied to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, vertical sectional view such as would be seen along the sight line 33 applied to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of one form of blank or panel used advantageously in the practice of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but of a modified form of panel; and

FIGS. 6-10 are schematic representations of the panel of FIG. 4 during the course of its installation in the en vironment seen in FIG. 1.

With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the numeral designates generally a freight vehicle such as a boxcar suitable for the transportation of granular material. The car 20 is equipped with a floor 21 and vertical doorway framing posts 22 and 23 defining a doorway 24. Installed across the doorway and extending upwardly from the floor 21 is a closure generally designated 25 which embodies teachings of this invention. The closure 25 is installed across the inside of the doorway, being secured to the inside faces of the vertical framing posts 22 and 23.

A preferred form of panel for developing the closure 25 is designated by the numeral 26 and is seen in FIG. 5. The panel 26 is seen to be scored or weakened along a plurality of horizontal lines as at 27, 28 and 29. The portion 30 between the lower edge 31 and the score line 29 which extends parallel thereto, is adapted to provide the floor flap 30a so designated in FIGS. 1, 6 and 9. This much is conventional, as is the basic construction of the panel 26, as can be seen from FIG. 3.

3,241,601 Patented Mar. 22, 1966 In FIG. 3, the panel 26 is seen to be made up of an inner liner 32, a corrugated core 32a having the flutes thereof extending vertically, and an outer liner 32b. Interpositioned between the outer liner 32b and the corrugated core 32:: are a plurality of flat sheet metal straps 35,

The utility and function of the fold lines 27 and 28 can be best appreciated from a consideration of the sequence of manipulations set forth in FIGS. 6-10, and reference will be had thereto.

Initially, the panel 26 is installed in the doorway 24 in the form seen in FIG. 6, wherein the upper portion 26a is positioned exteriorly of the car 20. In other words, the portion 27a lying between the fold lines 27 and 28 is generally horizontally disposed and has a thickness corresponding to the width of the doorway framing posts 22 and 23. This permits the filling of the car 20 through the use of a swivel loader, which is normally limited in the height in which it can operate. After the car 20 has been filled with grain, the panel 26 is converted from its FIG. 7 configuration through that shown. in FIG. 8 to that seen in FIG. 10, the final configuration being that presented in perspective form in FIG. 9.

In this connection, it will, be noted that the panel 26 is transversely severed along the lines 27 and 28 as at 32 in FIGS. 4 and 5 to yield the advantageous manipulations depicted in FIGS. 6-10. In this connection, it is believed that specific examples of dimensions will be helpful for understanding the invention, and, for that purpose, the following is set down:

The lines of severance at 32 ordinarily are spaced sixinches apart to accommodate the horizontal width of the doorway framing posts 22 and 23. The length of the lines of severance 32 is determined by the width of the side flap portion 33 which are defined by vertical scoring lines as at 34 extending parallel to, but spaced from, corresponding vertical side edges 36. The side flaps 33 are ordinarliy nine inches wide on doorways measuring across, and 15" wide on the wider doors, which are usually 114" or 138".

The width of the floor flap 30a is also 6". In other words, the fold line 29 is spaced 6" above the lower edge 31 of the panel 26. The distance between the lines 28 and 29 is determined by the distance the swivel loader will clear over the sill or floor 21 of the boxcar.

The overall height of the panel, when installed as the closure 25, is determined by the loaded height of material in the doorway of the car, usually in standard dimensions of 30, 36, 42, and 54 inches.

In operation, the door panel 26 is initially installed as depicted in FIG. 6, where first the lower portion 33a of the side flaps 33 are folded inwardly to expose the ends of the straps 35 for nailing to the framing posts 22 and 23. For this purpose, there is a line of severance as at 36a to permit folding of the side flaps or wings 33 when the floor flap 30a is positioned against the floor 21.

At the conclusion of the loading operation performed by the swivel loader (not shown), the upper portions 33b (see FIG. 6) of the side flaps or wings 33 are folded along the lines 34 to the condition previously occupied by the flap portions 32a as seen in FIG. 6. This permits the portion 33b to clear the side posts 22 and 23 as the upper portion of the panel 26 is brought inside the freight car. This operation is designated schematically in FIG. 8, where the upper portion 33b is seen in the stage of being introduced into the car 20, the portion 27a already having been folded inwardly of the car. Ultimately, the upperportion 26a is brought into parallel relationship with the lower portion 26b, as seen in FIG. 10--this parallel relationship necessarily including an overlapping relationship, as is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 9.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the panel closure generally designated 25 is equipped with iii-folded side flaps 33, the conventional climb-board 38, and pryboard 39, extending parallel to the overlapped portion gneerally designated 37.

The overlapped portion 37 additionally provides an advantageous bolster intermediate the height of the closure 25, thereby reducing the stress applied to the horizontally-extending sheet steel straps 35. It will also be noted that the lines of severance at 32 do not provide avenues for the escape or seepage of grain since in each case there is an overlapping unslit or unsevercd portion of the panel 26. As can be seen from FIG. 9, the slit 28 is overlaid by the wing portion 33b, while the slit 27 is in overlapping relation with the wing portion 33a.

In the manufacture of the device, the basic panel made up of the corrugated core 32a is advanced continuously between the liner webs with the flat straps extending transversely of the length of the flutes of the corrugated core. The webs making up the liners and core are transversely severed along spacedapart lines to develop the basic rectangular configuration 0f the panel seen in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the outer liner is scored in the direction of web movement, i.e., parallel to the straps, to develop the floor flap portion, the line of scoring being at 29. A spaced distance away from the line of scoring 29, the outer liner is scored along a longitudinal line to develop a fold at 27.

While in the foregoing specification a detailed description of the invention has been set down for the purpose of explanation, many variations in the details herein given may be made by those skilled in the art without depart ing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a method of closing the filling doorway of a freight vehicle, the steps of positioning the lower portion of a foldable closure over the lower portion of the inside of said doorway, with the upper closure portion being outside said doorway, said closure being wider than said doorway to overlap the doorway frame, introducing granular material over said closure, folding the edges of said upper closure portion and passing said upper closure portion through said doorway, and unfolding said edges and securing said edges to said frame.

2. In a method of closing the filling doorway of a freight vehicle, the steps of positioning the lower portion of a foldable closure over the lower portion of the inside of said doorway, with the upper closure portion being outside said doorway, said closure being Wider than said doorway to overlap the doorway frame, introducing granular material over said closure, folding the edges of said upper closure portion and passing said upper closure portion through said doorway, unfolding said edges, folding said closure on itself horizontally to provide said upper and lower portions in overlapping relation, and securing said edges to said frame.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,865,549 12/1958 Inman l60368 2,892,497 6/1959 Pierson 22933 X 2,966,213 12/1960 Ford 16()368 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner.

P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A METHOD OF CLOSING THE FILLING DOORWAY OF A FREIGHT VEHICLE, THE STEPS OF POSITIONING THE LOWER PORTION OF A FOLDABLE CLOSURE OVER THE LOWER PORTION OF THE INSIDE OF SAID DOORWAY, WITH THE UPPER CLOSURE PORTION BEING OUTSIDE SAID DOORWAY, SAID CLOSURE BEING WIDER THAN SAID DOORWAY TO OVERLAP THE DOORWAY FRAME, INTRODUCING GRANULAR MATERIAL OVER SAID CLOSURE, FOLDING THE EDGES OF SAID UPPER CLOSURE PORTION AND PASSING SAID UPPER CLOSURE PORTION THROUGH SAID DOORWAY, AND UNFOLDING SAID EDGES AND SECURING SAID EDGES TO SAID FRAME. 